Goin’ back to Cali.
It’s not just the song Cindy Ball-Malone and UCF’s four softball starters hailing from the Golden State shared with one another in a group text thread; it’s the next destination on the Knights’ path of disrupting the norm.
UCF (41-17-1) goes coast-to-coast for its second NCAA super regional appearance ever, facing No. 8 national seed UCLA (50-8) in a best-of-three series beginning at 9 p.m. on May 22. The winner advances to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.
No program has been to the WCWS more often (33 times), or won more national championships (13), than the Bruins. By contrast, UCF is seeking its first trip to softball’s grandest stage.
“We know we’re going up against the giants,” said Ball-Malone, a Simi Valley native who earned back-to-back All-America honors at the University of the Pacific. “I grew up 30 minutes away from the Bruins. I guess the best way I can describe it is that they’re the Alabama (football) of softball. … The tradition there is so amazing. They have some of the greatest softball players coming out of there. And, good, what an awesome opportunity for us to go in and get it done.
“If we’re true disruptors, then we’re going to take this task and this mission and keep it our thing, keep playing against our best selves.”
UCF delivered a shock to the softball system last week by surviving the Tallahassee Regional for the first time in five tries, defeating Florida State 4-2 in a winner-take-all final. Beth Damon and Izzy Mertes socked two-run homers, and Tori Payne pitched six innings to capture one of the most significant wins in the program’s quarter-century history.
UCLA survived an opening-game scare from Cal Baptist in the Los Angeles Regional, winning 12-11 with five runs in the final two innings, and cruised in a pair of head-to-head matchups with South Carolina.
UCF vs. UCLA super regional softball predictions
Chris Boyle — UCLA in two games. The Knights will head west with an enormous amount of confidence after finally conquering the Tallahassee Regional. They are also 5-4 this season against ranked opponents on the road, including series wins over fellow super regional qualifiers Oklahoma State and Arizona State. However, very few pitching staffs have had success against UCLA this spring. The Bruins lead the country in scoring (10.83 runs per game), home runs (193), on-base percentage (.494) and slugging percentage (.836). UCLA’s pitching staff has produced a team ERA of 4.37, so the Knights should have ample opportunities to score. They need to capitalize whenever possible.
Chris Vinel — UCLA in three games. It’s not just that the Bruins leads the country in scoring. It’s that nobody is really close. They’ve crossed the plate 628 times this season. Only two teams sit within 150 runs of that — Oklahoma (599) and Texas Tech (583). UCLA has been held to fewer than five runs in only seven of their 58 contests. It has the upper hand in this series. But it wouldn’t be totally shocking if UCF claimed a game after upsetting Florida State last week. The Seminoles beat the Bruins 11-7 in February.
UCF softball roster
UCF softball schedule
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF softball vs UCLA prediction, pick for NCAA Super Regionals
Reporting by Chris Boyle, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
